Special Articles

4.　Diagnostic imaging of Kawasaki disease : the present state and the future

Yukishige Yanagawa
Separtment of Pediatircs, Teikyo University School of Medicine

Abstract

　The history of diagnostic imaging in Kawasaki disease started with the development of ultrasonographic diagnosis. Accurate echocardiographic assessment of the coronary arteries made the indication of coronary angiography suitable for the patient’s case, according to severity. In this century, there appeared several new diagnostic imaging techniques, such as myocardial SPECT, multi-slice spiral CT（MSCT）and Magnetic Resonance Coronary Angiography（MRCA）. These new techniques are promising, although there remain some difficulties in using them for young children. In the near future, we hope to find the proper combination of these diagnostic imaging techniques to clarify the problems of each patient, from infancy to adult age.

Keywords：Kawasaki disease, Ultrasonographic diagnosis, MSCT, MRCA, SPECT